I’d rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect.
It’s the principle of it.
O.C., “Time’s Up,” Word…Life, 1994
Tag: hip-hop
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It’s deep-rooted, the music of being young and dumb,
It’s never muted, in fact, it’s much louder where I’m from.Kendrick Lamar, “Sherane a.k.a. Master Splinter’s Daughter,” good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012
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It seems we living the American Dream,
But the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem.
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings. -
Funny what seven days can change…
It was all good just a week ago.Jay-Z, “A Week Ago,” Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life, 1998
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There’s four developing stages in the art of hip-hop,
And most of them developed from the snap, crackle and pop.
The first was the usage of an actual band,
The second was a drum machine made by a man,
The third was the human beatbox and percussion,
The fourth in line was samplin’ and the book of rhyme bustin’.Afrika Baby Bam, “Book of Rhyme Pages,” from The Jungle Brothers’ J Beez Wit The Remedy, 1993. More from the Jungle Brothers… -
The rich act poor, and the poor claim rich,
Whatever sounds cool’ll make the weaker mind switch.
If you on a major label or an indie 12-inch:
When you fronting on the mic, you still the industry’s bitch. -
I start thinking:
How many souls hip-hop has affected?
How many dead folks this art resurrected?
How many nations this culture connected?
Who am I to judge one’s perspective?Common, “6th Sense,” Like Water for Chocolate, 2000. More from Common… -
Rap is not pop. If you call it that, then stop.
Q-Tip, “Check the Rhime,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991. More quotes from The Abstract… -
Rap is like a set-up…a lot of games,
A lot of suckers with colorful names.
‘I’m so-and-so,’ ‘I’m this, I’m that.’
But they all just wick-wick-wack.KRS-One, “My Philosophy,” from BDP’s By All Means Necessary, 1988. More from KRS… -
I never rapped on an R&B record, and I never will.
I got these phony muthafuckas talkin bout ‘Let’s keep it real.’
But they don’t know how to take they own advisement,
Going out, do it solo on an advertisement, commercializing.
Fuckin’ sell out, nigga…this is hip-hop, not fashion.B-Real, “Strictly Hip-Hop,” from Cypress Hill’s III: Temples of Boom, 1995. More quotes from Cypress Hill > -
What the fuck happened to reality-spitting rhyme sayers?
These days, everybody trying to be a thug or a player.
Where did all the real motherfuckers go in the game?
Bring back the breakdancers and graffiti writers with fame.Immortal Technique, “Revolutionary,” Revolutionary Vol. 1, 2001. More from Immortal Technique > -
Question: Why is that MC’s be wack
And major labels wanna sign that crap?
A-yo…funk that!Phife Dawg, “One Two Shit,” A Tribe Called Quest’s The Love Movement, 1998. More Tribe Quotes. -
I said ‘Whoa, little hottie,
I’m not DeLorean, Gambino or Gotti.
I don’t deal coke,
And furthermore you’re making me broke.
I’ll put you in a rehab and I won’t tell your folks.’
And what do you know,
In 18 months she came home,
And I let her back in…
And now she’s sniffing again.Smooth B., “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow,” from Nice & Smooth’s Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed, 1991. -
If sleep is the cousin of death, then death is the cousin of sadness;
Murder’s the cousin of madness, love is the cousin of that bitch.Ill Bill, “Secrets Worth Dying For,” from DJ Muggs & Ill Bill’s Kill Devil Hills, 2010 -
The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is my blanket.
Q-Tip, “Verses from the Abstract,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991 -
Believers of Jesus be denouncing Satan on every level,
But every Halloween they’re dressin’ like devils.KRS-One, “Higher Level,” Return of the Boom Bap, 1993 -
I’m so Rakim and Eric. B, bitches check out my melody.
I might Slick Rick on a fella…catch me a felony.
I might Shyne Po a ho…POW! Catch me a case.
Producto must have rolled the L because this blunt feels laced.Killer Mike, “Twin Hype Back,” Run the Jewels, 2013 -
What’s better than tripping is falling in love.
What’s better than Letterman, Leno, Fallon, and all the above?
What’s better than popping bottles trying to ball in the club?
Is the first caveman pops with his son, ball and a club.
What’s better than paper is balling it up.
What’s better than followers is actually falling in love.
What’s better than frolicking, follies, fallin in mud?
Rolling in green pastures, wandering, following love.
What’s better than eating is feeding your fam.
What’s better than meetings is missing meetings to meet with your fam.
What’s better than leaning and needing your Xan?
Is hitting your zan dreaming a dream could mean leaving the land.
What’s better than yelling is hollering love.
What’s better than rhymes, nickles, dimes, dollars, and dubs?
Is dialing up your darling just for calling her up.
There ain’t nothing better than falling in love.Chance the Rapper, “Interlude (That’s Love),” Acid Rap, 2013 -
We ain’t speak, clicking heat is our Morse code.
Ka, “Jungle,” Night’s Gambit, 2013 -
A letter to you suckers,
Each and every one of you duck muthafuckas…
Your girl puckers her lips, so I stuck her.Kool G. Rap, “Jive Talk,” from Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1990 -
This game is lame, the music comes second
So you can save that stupidness for all them artists you checkin.
Popularity don’t last long, I’m in it for classics,
Cause the other side of the biz is fake and it’s plastic.Craig G., “Classic Personified,” Ramblings of an Angry Old Man, 2012 -
Make a radio hit: heads criticize it.
Underground classic? Nobody buys it.
So, rap is fucked…
And everything blowing up sounds redundant,
But money talks and bullshit does 9 flat in the 100.Ras Kass, “Reelishymn,” Soul On Ice, 1996 -
I’ve been layin’, waiting for your next mistake,
I put in work, and watch my status escalate.Guru, “Work,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998 -
MCs get a little bit of love and think they hot,
Talkin bout how much money they got…all y’all records sound the same.
I’m sick of that fake thug, R&B-rap scenario, all day on the radio,
Same scenes in the video, monotonous material.
…Y’all don’t hear me though:
These record labels slang our tapes like dope.
You can be next in line and signed, and still be writing rhymes and broke.stic.man, “Hip-Hop,” from Dead Prez’s Let’s Get Free, 2000 -
Some rappers stink, like Engelbert Humperdinck,
Better yet Dick Cavett, I got a bad habit
Similar to the girl on She’s Gotta Have It.Grand Puba, “All For One,” from Brand Nubian’s One For All, 1990 -
Every time I write these words they become a taboo,
Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here’s true,
Living my life in the margin, and that metaphor was proof.Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice,” good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012 -
Those who flashin’ don’t blast, they still buffoons,
Just blowin out hot air, they should fill balloons.
I’m like them shorties that could kill for goons,
They started hustlin’ in April to cop wheels in June.Elzhi, “Mt. Everest,” from U-God’s The Keynote Speaker, 2013 -
And as for the critics, tell me I don’t get it.
Everybody can tell you how to do it, they never did it.Jay-Z, “Already Home,” The Blueprint 3, 2009 -
My days getting shorter, my nights getting longer,
My cell getting smaller, my son getting taller.
I exercise my mind, my body getting stronger,
But my blood getting colder, heart getting harder.
My chances for appeal getting slimmer,
My skin getting brighter, my hair getting thinner.
See, when you stressed out, you could age fast in here,
I done seen weak niggas not last a year.
So before lights out, I write my kids every night,
Kiss the stamp on the kite,
And say a prayer…I hope it lands safe in these flights,
I pray they sleep safe through the night.
Try to teach my son right, give him some jewels,
But it’s hard to raise my boy from this visiting room.
Many cells turned to prisoner’s tombs,
I just pray I don’t die in here,
And last night I almost cried a tear.Beanie Sigel, “Have Mercy,” from Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II, 2009 -
My momma did her part,
But it ain’t her fault that I was born without a heart.
In other words: I’m heartless dude.
I don’t love me…how the fuck I’mma love you?Scarface, “Born Killer,” Mr. Scarface is Back, 1991 -
We live in a society created by an empire
That’s based on terror…welcome to the One World Era,
A complete interruption to your lil’ paltry-ass life,
That you thought you was livin, and what you been given.Coolio, “The Park, from Slam The Soundtrack, 1998 -
Others tell like it is, while I tell it how I would like it to be.
Cee-Lo, “The World I Know,” from Slam The Soundtrack, 1998 -
They say that love is powerful as cough syrup and Styrofoam.
All I know is I fell asleep and woke up in that Monte Carlo
With the ugly Kardashian…
Lamar, oh, sorry. Yo, we done both set the bar low.Eminem, “Berzerk,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013 -
I don’t understand the difficulty, people;
Love your brother, treat him as an equal.Heavy D., “Self Destruction,” Stop The Violence All-Stars, 1989 -
Redman ready to rock rough rhymes,
Renegade rapper, rip when it’s rhyme time.
Punk push a pen and pencil when I’m pissed,
Pack pistol posse, flow some more pro shit.Redman, “Hardcore,” from EPMD’s Business as Usual, 1990 -
I got a girl and she treat me fine,
But the homies all think that I’m losin’ my mind.
I’m trippin’ and I know it cause I’m all nerved up,
Cause everytime I go to sleep, I see this big ol’ butt.
See, I ain’t never gave no chick 4 stars,
But she treat me so good that she be drivin my car.
And every day it get better, I can’t lie,
Went to the house and she made me some hot potato pie.
All my friends be sayin, “She ain’t nothin but a scrub!”
But she make me feel high like I’m hooked on drugs.
So I give her what she need, and what’s done is done,
But I’m a special kind of fool but ayo, it don’t bother me none.
I can’t help myself, I know that I’m trippin’,
But she got it goin’ on like Kentucky Fried Chicken.Pimp C, “Use Me Up,” from UGK’s Too Hard to Swallow, 1992 -
It seem like everybody dress tight now,
And I just want my credit.Kanye West, “Gifted,” from N.A.S.A.’s The Spirit of Apollo, 2009 -
The mind is a terrible thing to waste.
I show love cause it’s a terrible thing to hate.Guru, “Peace of Mine,” from Gang Starr’s The Ownerz, 2003 -
No matter what the name, we’re all the same pieces in one big chess game.
Chuck D., “Rebel Without a Pause,” from Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988 -
Burn, Hollywood, burn, I smell a riot goin’ on,
First they’re guilty, now they’re gone!Chuck D., “Burn, Hollywood, Burn,” from Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, 1990 -
Nowadays, the game is all bugged out,
Phony, like back when Hammer tried to come thugged out.MF Doom, “Foolish,“ from MF Grimm’s Downfall of Ibliys: A Ghetto Opera, 2002 -
If you love someone, you should say it often,
You never know when they’ll be layin’ in a coffin.
Wake up, it’s important that you know that
No one on Earth is promised tomorrow.MC Lyte, “Poor Georgie,” Act Like You Know, 1991 -
It’s the principle of it, I get a rush when I bust
Some dope lines oral, that maybe somebody’ll quote.
That’s what I consider real in this field of music,
Instead of puttin’ brain cells to work, they abuse it.
Non-conceptual, non-exceptional,
Everybody’s either crime-related or sexual.
For those who pose lyrical, but really ain’t true, I feel:
Their time’s limited, hard rocks too.O.C., “Time’s Up,” Word…Life, 1994 -
I drop styles on ears…the public bite ‘em.
Not many went to school, so the dummies wouldn’t write ’em.
They say, “Yo Keith! You’re Kool, you usin’ big words!”
I went to college, I’m even more stupid, herb.Kool Keith, “Raise It Up,” from Ultramagnetic M.C.’s The Four Horsemen, 1993 -
We made plans, but we’ll never be able to fulfill ‘em.
This is shit we put together since we was little…
Every time we had dreams, you found a way you could kill ’em.Kurupt, “Keep it Moving,” from Hi-Tek’s Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip, 2006 -
Payback’s a bitch, that’s why I never borrow;
And if push comes to shove, I’d do a stickup tomorrow.Daddy-O, “Inner City Boundaries,” from Freestyle Fellowship’s Innercity Griots, 1993 -
Everything will eventually come to an end,
So try to savor the moment, cause time flies, don’t it?
The beauty of life, you gotta make it last for the better,
Cause nothin’ lasts forever.Nas, “Nothing Lasts Forever,” The Lost Tapes, 2002 -
I ain’t goin out like a spineless jellyfish.
Some say life is a bitch…
Ask that punk who dug his own ditch.B-Real, “Hand on the Pump,” Cypress Hill’s Cypress Hill, 1991 -
Raise your right palm: We do solemnly swear
To stack more dough more calmly this year.MF Doom, “Get ‘Er Done,” from Jake One’s White Van Music, 2008 -
Comin’ from the school of hard knocks,
Some perpetrate…they drink Clorox.
Attack the black, cause I know they lack exact
The cold facts, and still they try to Xerox.Chuck D., “Don’t Believe the Hype,” from Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Million’s To Hold Us Back, 1988 -
We fight every night, now that’s not kosher.
I reminisce with bliss of when we was closer,
And wake up to be greeted by an argument again,
…You act like you’re ten.
So immature, I try to concentrate on a cure,
And keep lookin’ at the front door.Large Professor, “Looking at the Front Door,” from Main Source’s Breaking Atoms, 1991 -
I drink twenty forties, smoke forty blunts,
Say a hundred rhymes, and not sound like you once.Dres, “Roll Wit Tha Flava,” from Flavor Unit’s Roll Wit Tha Flava, 1993 -
You and your friends…always together,
No time for the B-I-G, so I’m O-U-T.
The sex was great, but the headaches I can’t take.
I think I made a very big mistake.Notorious B.I.G., “Buddy X (Remix),” from Neneh Cherry’s Homebrew, 1992 -
It’s been a long time…I shouldn’t have left you
Without a strong rhyme to step to.Rakim, “I Know You Got Soul,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Paid In Full, 1987 -
It’s a beautiful day, and everybody’s feelin’ wonderful,
The ladies is out, lookin’ fly, dressed comfortable.
I love to wake up, and feel the breeze through my window,
Slip on fatigues, grab a dutch, and roll some indo.Dead Prez, “Happiness,” Let’s Get Free, 2000 -
I go to Queens for queens to get the crew from Brooklyn,
Make money in Manhattan and never been tooken.
Go Uptown and the Bronx to boogie down,
Get strong on the Island, recoup, and lay around.Rakim, “Juice (Know the Ledge),” from Eric B. & Rakim’s Don’t Sweat the Technique, 1992 -
Bitch, you ain’t got nothin on the rich,
Every other day my whole dress code switch.Cappadonna, “Winter Warz,” from Ghostface Killah’s Ironman, 1996 -
It was magic, I felt the bond between us.
She was a jelly to my peanuts, Mars to Venus,
The Earth to my sun, moon and stars,
We added up mathematically…
It’s like I had a bad habit, B!Ghostface Killah, “The Center of Attraction,” Twelve Reasons to Die, 2013 -
The last batter to hit, blast shattered your hip,
Smash any splitter or fastball—that’ll be it.Pharoahe Monch, “The Next Shit,” Internal Affairs, 1999 -
The rap era’s outta control,
Brothers’ sellin their soul to go gold…
Going, going, gone, another rapper sold!Parrish Smith, “Crossover,” EPMD’s Business Never Personal, 1993 -
I’m goin’ out first class, ain’t goin’ out coach.
MCA, “The Sounds of Science,” from Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, 1989. Remembering Adam Yauch, who passed away a year ago today. Rest in Peace, MCA. -
Super-cali-fragalistic-expiali-docious,
Docious-ali-expi-fragalistic-cali-super.
Cancun…catch me in the room, eatin’ grouper.Ghostface Killah, “Buck 50,” Supreme Clientele, 1999 -
You little cream puff Mac Daddy wannabe,
Keep dreaming cause a Mac you will never be.
So all y’all with the Dr. Seuss riddles,
You can get the finger…the middleMac Daddy, “Warm it Up,” from Kris Kross’ Totally Krossed Out, 1992. Chris Kelly, one half of the ‘90s rap duo Kris Kross, has died of a possible drug overdose. He was 34. -
I’m stuck in a time capsule when rappers’ actually factual;
Meaning: shit you spit might cause killers to come and clap at you.Killer Mike, “Get It,” from Killer Mike and El-P’s Run the Jewels, 2013 -
Food for thought, eat my words with your mind:
Emcees are grapes, and grapes are crushed to wine.MF Grimm, “Do It for the Kids,” 12", 1998 -
I’m complexicated like a Rubik’s Cube puzzle,
Who said I drink? I don’t drink, I guzzle.Subroc, “Sweet Premium Wine,” from K.M.D.’s Black Bastards, 1994 -
It ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at.
Rakim, “I Know You Got Soul,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Paid In Full, 1987 -
CIA, FBI, all they tell us is lies.
And when I say it, they get alarmed…
‘Cause I’m louder than a bomb.Chuck D., “Louder Than a Bomb,” from Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988 -
Inhale deep like the words of my breath,
I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.Nas, “New York State of Mind,” Illmatic, 1994 -
I can drink a whole Hennessy fifth.
Some call that a problem, but I call it a gift.Xzibit, “Get Your Walk On,” Restless, 2000 -
I chop ‘em into salad and my name ain’t Caesar.
Black Thought, “@15,” from The Roots’ Rising Down, 2008 -
I ain’t the captain of the yacht, but I’m on the boat;
I ain’t acting what I’m not, knowing that I don’t.
You niggaz acting like you will, but I know you won’t.
Man, I read between the lines of the eyes of your brows,
Your handshake ain’t matchin your smile…Beanie Sigel, “Feel it in the Air,” The B. Coming, 2005 -
Whether chocolate or vanilla, or you’re somewhere in between,
A cappuccino mocha or a caramel queen,
Rejected by the black, not accepted by the white world,
And this is dedicated to them dark-skinned white girls.Murs, “D.S.W.G.,” Murray’s Revenge, 2005 -
Step to this and get shanked up,
I knocked out so many teeth, the tooth fairy went bankrupt.Big L, “Let ‘Em Have it L,” Lifestyles Ov Da Poor and Dangerous, 1995 -
I could let these dream killers kill my self-esteem,
Or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams.
I use it as my gas, so they say that I’m gassed,
But without it I’d be last, so I ought to laugh…Kanye West, “Last Call,” The College Dropout, 2003 -
‘You claim to be the man, you want me for a lover,
So you can do my girlfriends and my sister and my mother?’I said, ‘You’re very blunt,’ with quickness to the cue,
‘So whassup with your mother, does she look as good as you?’Dres, “Similac Child,” from Black Sheep’s A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, 1991 -
I thank the Lord for every morning he allows me to rise,
And though the sun is shining, there’s a cloud in the sky
Lettin’ me know that at any moment there could be rain.
And as beautiful as life is, there still can be pain.
Down the park, I hear the sirens, just screamin’ away,
And then the inevitable happens, the end of them days,
As sad as it sounds, but that’s the price we all gotta pay.
And the whole world knows God giveth, and will taketh away.
I live and I learn, I sit and watch my cigarette burn
Down to the ash. It reminds me of the now and the past.
I say a little prayer, cause eventually I’ll stand in the path
Of the souls and dark rows that lead to rest.Scarface, “What Can I Do?,” The Fix, 2002 -
Never looking back or too far in front of me,
The present is a gift, and I just want to Be.Common, “Be,” Be, 2005 -
Cloned chickens walking around without heads,
The food is contaminated, the water got lead in it.
Population control, make the babies sick,
All these RFID chips, RU-486…
This is a war against consciousness,
Controlling your soul, sort of a psychological dictatorship.
And we are on the front lines,
Guilty as charged if intellect is a crime.Pharoahe Monch, “W.A.R.,” W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), 2011 -
My mama didn’t see it comin, my daddy was there.
What’s my excuse? Cartoons were the root.
Started with Yosemite Sam
With the gun in the palm of the hand,
What couldn’t I demand?Pusha T, “Young Boy,” from The Clipse’s Lord Willin’, 2002 -
Actions have reactions, don’t be quick to judge,
You may not know the hardships people don’t speak of.
It’s best to step back, and observe with couth,
For we all must meet our Moment of Truth.Guru, “Moment of Truth,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998 -
I’m your idol, the highest title, Numero Uno,
I’m not a Puerto Rican, but I’m speakin so that you know,
And understand, I got the gift of speech,
And it’s a blessin, so listen to the lesson I preach…Special Ed, “I Got it Made,” Youngest in Charge, 1989 -
Peace before everything, God before anything,
Love before anything, real before everything,
Home before any place, shoot before anything,
Style and state radiate, Love Power slay the hate.Mos Def, “Priority,” The Ecstatic, 20092009, east coast, God, hate, hip-hop, love, mos def, new york, peace, Rap Quote, real, The Ecstatic, yasiin bey -
You keepin it real, but ain’t got a clue what reality really be;
See, the diameter of your knowledge is the circumference of your activity.Ras Kass, “Soul On Ice (Remix),” Soul On Ice, 1996 -
Every coast gotta know, I’m the most with the flow,
No joke I’m a pro, I’m like The Pope on the low.AZ, “I Am the Truth,” The Format, 2006. Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was elected as the 266th pope of the Catholic Church yesterday. -
I don’t know what’s better: getting laid or getting paid.
I just know when I’m getting one, the other’s getting away.Kanye West, “This Way,” from Dilated Peoples’ Neighborhood Watch, 2004 -
They love the fact you made it, but hate the fact you got it.
The stairway to heaven is packed…I’m in the lobby.
Too scared to go to sleep, cause most times I often doubt my dreams.Big K.R.I.T., “R.E.M.,” King Remembered In Time, 2013 -
…The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.
God bless his soul, rest in peace, kid.
It’s because of him now at least I know what beef is.Canibus, “Second Round K.O.,” Can-I-Bus, 1998. RIP Christopher George Latore Wallace, best known as The Notorious B.I.G., born May 21, 1972, died March 9, 1997 at the age of 24. -
You know it ain’t no stoppin’
All the doggs I’m droppin’
It’s Friday night, so everything is poppin.Ice Cube, “Friday,” from the soundtrack to Friday, 1995 -
You stackin cheddar cause you working at the burger place.
Inspectah Deck, “It’s Raw,” CZARFACE, 2013 -
What is the meaning of C.R.I.M.E.?
Is it Criminals Robbin’ Innocent Muthafuckaz Everytime?GZA, “I Gotcha Back,” Liquid Swords, 1995 -
You can tell by the rhyme it’s my time to shine;
Let’s eat, motherfucker, I don’t dine on swine.
I don’t beef with turkeys, I told you the God’ll fold you,
Hard to digest: I suggest that you take tofu.Sean Price, “Like You,” Jesus Price Superstar, 2007 -
The business of beauty isn’t a natural model;
It’s built to be the opposite of the cultures we topple.
These magazines got you caught in a hustle,
Cause when you starve yourself, your body doesn’t burn fat, it burns muscles.Immortal Technique, “Natural Beauty,” The Martyr, 2011